A Captive Heart's Identity
by XxEllexX
Summary: After a devastating fight on the front lines, Kirito loses his memory. His identity, his life in the real world.. all of that is gone. Now the only thing he has to go by is his name and his stats: that's his identity. When one person- one guild- begins taking that away from him, he eagerly thirsts for revenge. And capturing a lovely commander is just a small part of the equation.
1. Enigma

**IMPORTANT A/N: This story takes place AFTER the First Boss Battle. So the whole Illfang the Kobold Lord thing already happened.**

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**A Captive Heart's Identity**

**Chapter One: Enigma**

_My God, is this girl annoying. And to think an entire guild is under her lead... _He shuddered at the thought. "Forgive me for asking, but can you please be quiet? I'm having a hard enough time thinking without you throwing questions in my face." he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Be quiet?" she spat incredulously, as if she'd tasted something vulgar in her mouth. "You want me to be quiet? Who do you think you are, barging in out of nowhere, kidnapping me, and then expecting me to be quiet?! You... you crazy person!" Asuna's chest heaved with fury. How dare he tie her up like this. Kirito cringed. Asuna had only woken up from the sleep tranquillizer a few minutes ago and she was already babbling nonstop.

_Loud, too, huh?_

"I will_ not_ be silenced." she said, lifting her chin in defiance. She mentally cursed the cloth over her eyes but her body had already given up on trying to break free from the stiff wire wrapped around her. It was pointless, considering the fact that no matter how hard she struggled, the wire would not give. Instead, it would hurt her.

_I really hate this. _She sighed inwardly.

"You and I both know," He sighed, eyeing her warily. "how easily I can silence you."

_This girl... this girl is definitely fearless, I'll give her that much. For God's sake, she's tied to a chair. As if there's anything she can possibly do to fight me._ Kirito rolled his eyes.

Though he found entertaining that idea to be oddly amusing, if not somewhat arousing.

"Oh yeah? Why don't you then?" she taunted him angrily. "Why don't you just put some tape over my mouth and call it a day?" Asuna clenched her hands into fists, balling them up so tightly she could feel her nails digging into her palm.

_She's trying to challenge me, huh? Cute._

Kirito stood up from his seat and walked towards her, slowly closing the distance between them. He smirked.

_She really is quite attractive. _He acknowledged. _They certainly weren't exaggerating when they said she was cute, either._

Asuna clenched her jaw as she heard his footsteps get closer and she tried to figure out why his voice sounded so familiar... surely, he couldn't be who she thought he was. Because the person she associated with that voice... that person would never hold her captive like this. That person would never, ever do something like this.

At least... she didn't think so.

Her heart ached with a brutal emotion... _regret._ How did she manage to let her guard down long enough for this to happen? They didn't call her the Lightning Flash for nothing. And yet, there she was. Asuna sighed. The _one _time they allowed her to go off on her own without an escort, she had to go and get herself kidnapped. Seriously?

_When they track me on the maps and get me out of this, they are never going to let me hear the end of it._

Kirito continued walking until he was merely one step away from her. When she sensed his proximity and turned her head down, Kirito could see her fuming. With a small chuckle, he bent down and spoke softly in her ear.

"Your lips are far too pretty to be taped, Asuna-san."

Before he could look smugly at her blushing face Asuna kicked him in the shin defiantly.

"Back off!" she said, cheeks burning at his words.

_What's up with this guy?_

Kirito winced at the slight stinging her kick had left behind, not sure whether he admired or despised her fearless defiance.

"Ouch." he sighed quietly. Then he walked over to the table to grab a roll of cable wire and smiled teasingly at her, although she couldn't see. "You leave me no other choice, Commander_._"

He smirked out of habit when her breathing hitched in her throat. It wasn't a reaction he wasn't used to; women were such fickle creatures in the presence of confident, powerful men. But then he noticed a strange swelling in his heart and an intense throbbing in his head. Taking a small step back, Kirito squeezed his eyes shut, gritting his teeth at the sharp pain the throbbing caused. Swirling up from the pits of his stomach, he felt washed over with an uncomfortable sense of familiarity...

_No. _He thought, hoping that by denying the feeling it would somehow go away. _She's a pretty face, but there's nothing more to it than that. Nothing more to explain that feeling in my heart... that strangely familiar feeling..._

He resumed to approaching her.

_What was that just now?_ Kirito shook his head dismissively to clear his scattered thoughts, his headache fading and allowing him to be himself again. Well, he wouldn't allow himself to think there was anything more to that feeling, not at least if he were to accomplish his goal without any unnecessary distractions.

_After all, this beautiful Vice Commander can be very distracting..._

"As I had meant to say before you had so rudely kicked me," Kirito said, watching Asuna scoff at his remark. "it _would_ get a little boring for the both of us here if there was no conversation."

Kirito walked towards her silently, so quiet you could probably hear a pin drop or a flower petal hit the ground. Then he knelt down and quickly wound the cable wire with so much speed that even Asuna didn't have the chance to kick him in defense. She did kick herself though, for not wearing any shorts under her skirt!

_I'm really on a role with all these mistakes. _Asuna thought, chastising herself. Then she wondered what this mysterious kidnapper would think of her underwear, feeling sick to her stomach with humiliation. _Well at least I'm not wearing anything too revealing, _she thought, trying to comfort herself. Unlike many other girls she knew, she didn't bother wasting money on lingerie. Just the standard white panties designed for every female player in the SAO universe was good enough for her. Luckily for her though, Kirito was a gentlemen and the thought of sneaking a peek hadn't even crossed his mind. He stood up once he was done tying the cable wires and admired his handiwork, not noticing the flush of redness on her face.

"If you really don't want to talk, I'm sure we can work out a mutually preferable means of communication." he said. Since she could no longer kick him, he bent down so that their faces were mere inches apart. "Perhaps body language?"

Kirito laughed at her reaction and shrugged his hands into his pocket. She was fun to tease.

"Don't look so stiff, I was only kidding." he said. "I like to keep my work professional. I have no intention of doing anything..._ intimate_ with you."

Silence.

"Who are you?" she asked, a tone of sadness in her voice as though someone had just rejected her. Kirito frowned as she unknowingly braced herself for the answer.

"That's nothing you need to be concerned about." his voice suddenly turned cold, emotionless when compared to his teasing tone earlier.

Asuna rolled her eyes under the cloth.

"Why are you doing this then?" she could almost hear his smirk.

"Why do you ask so many questions?" he replied with a playful smile. For a reason that was beyond him, he quite liked watching her get worked up and he vaguely wondered if that made him a sick person. He hadn't expected the girl's company to be so enjoyable- her presence was just a small part of his master plan.

"I asked you first! You can't just answer my question with your own question!" Asuna exclaimed. "That doesn't count." She heard him chuckle but he said nothing in reply. Instead, Kirito walked over to grab a chair before setting it down in front of her and sitting so close that his knees were practically touching hers.

_Maybe, just this once, I'll let go of my professionalism._

Kirito observed Asuna with a wordless gaze. He noticed how soft her skin looked, how a rosy pink flush coloured her cheeks. He noted the cute bridge on her nose, the gentle arch of her eyebrows, and how her honey coloured hair fell down in a length so long it could rival that of Rapunzel's. And finally his eyes fell upon her lips. Her full, light crimson lips that were currently being chewed on. Asuna was biting on her lower lip and appeared to be in what was either deep thought or deep anxiety.

_I hope it's not the latter. _Kirito frowned. He didn't necessarily want to cause her any harm or anxiety. At least... not right now. It was just necessary for him to do this because it was a part of his plan. To be honest, if he could have avoided the trouble of capturing the Vice Commander then he would have; waiting for an opportunity to catch her alone was very difficult and time consuming. But while Kirito had confidence in his hypothetical ability to oppose Asuna's bodyguard, he felt that that wouldn't be enough. The damage needed to be greater; and the pain needed to be stronger.

So, quite simply, capturing Asuna was something that needed to be done. Kirito tried comforting himself with the fact that technically she _was_ a part of his problem since she was an integral part of the KoB. But his attempts were futile and a tiny shred of guilt still plagued the back of his mind.

And while those thoughts were churning in his mind, Asuna's heart was thumping at an unhealthily rapid pace. She tried to ignore it, but she couldn't fight the connection she felt towards Kirito. It was like his proximity had lit up a spark within her, a nervous flame that flickered uneasily and for some elusive reason made her feel extremely flustered.

_Get a hold of yourself, Asuna! _she gave herself a serious pep talk.

"So, you want some answers?" Kirito asked presumptuously, folding his arms over his chest and observing her with amusement.

"Yes." she stiffened. Upon noticing her rigid composure Kirito felt another small pang of sadness. Why did she seem so scared of him? He honestly had no intention of hurting her, and apart from the few times he'd teased her he did nothing to suggest that he would. Hell, he didn't even tape her mouth or tie her wrists, both of which would have made his job a lot easier.

"Then, let's get you some answers." he said, pausing to gauge her reaction. Even though she was blindfolded, her eyes narrowed in skepticism. For him to simply answer her questions all of a sudden... was too easy. He must be up to something.

"What's the catch?"

"Oi, Asuna-san, do all my efforts need to have a hidden motive?" he asked divertedly. She remained silent and ignored the teasing tone of his voice. This wasn't a game to her.

Kirito leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees to get closer to her. "If you insist, then, let's make things more interesting."

"W-what?!" she panicked. "That's not what I meant!"

"For every kiss I get, you get an answer."

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**Will he kiss her? Will_ she_ kiss him? Will there even_ be_ a kiss? **

**Find out by leaving some feedback! I will update by **five reviews** or by next Thursday, whichever comes first. Thank you so much for the support! **

**PS. I realize that Kirito is very out of character at the moment, but as the story develops and he interacts more with Asuna, she will bring back the Kirito we all know and love. And I apologize for the crap story summary, it's really hard to work with a character limit sometimes . And ****I'm Canadian so our way of spelling 'color' is colour :) please don't mind that.**


	2. Dangerous to Know

**A/N: I listened to Dangerous to Know while writing this and I think the song really fits this chapter. Yes, it's Hilary Duff. But it's a darker song and it helped me write this. So consider reading this chapter with that song playing, if you're the type of person who can read while listening to music! :) **

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**A Captive Heart's Identity**

**Chapter Two: Dangerous to Know**

"For every kiss I get, you get an answer." he whispered softly near her ear. She bit her lip involuntarily and a his words ran a cool chill up her spine. His voice...

Kirito tsked at her reaction.

Then she snapped out of it.

"Wait, what?! No way!" she said, "I'm not going to kiss you for answers!"

"Why not?" he challenged playfully, leaning back in his seat. "You certainly seem like you want to kiss me."

She gawked at him, barely able to register his inflated ego. "What in this world would lead you to such a bizarre conclus-" her words were abruptly cut off. Kirito leaned forward and met her lips, silencing her anger. His lips eagerly slipped between hers and his finger lightly tipped her chin up. For a moment she felt light headed and dizzy, her own lips responding to the kiss out of what she tried convincing herself was instinct.

But she knew, and hated, the truth swirling at the back of her mind. The truth that she really did feel attracted to him... and that she kissed him back entirely due to her own will.

Kirito deepened the kiss, one hand caressing her face while the other pulled gently on her hair, tilting her head up for easier access to her lips. Asuna parted her lips slightly and gasped for breath. To this Kirito responded eagerly, as though he had been deprived of intimacy for his entire life prior to that moment. He bit her lip gently, hungrily, a heat churning in the lower regions of his body.

_What I would do to you..._ He thought.

Asuna moaned softly against his lips. She almost reached up to touch him as well, instinctively, but then she remembered that she was tied to a chair. Such a realization begged the question, _Oh God, no, what am I doing?!_

She pulled her head back forcefully and ended the kiss. Asuna turned her head down and knew she was blushing terribly.

_This is awful._ She thought with dread and humiliation. _I'm falling right into his arms, just the way he wants me to... what's wrong with me? _Her face continued to burn.

And normally, Kirito would have smirked at this. Normally, he would have even laughed at her reaction since kisses were such mechanical gestures to him. Quite truthfully, he believed that they served only one purpose, and that was to momentarily quell and satisfy one's innate desires. Hell, if he were to be really blunt he would say that they were just moments of lip-to-lip contact that... well, that felt good. _  
_

And yet he couldn't stop smiling. For some intangible reason, seeing her bashful redness induced not a smirk this time, but a genuine _smile_. A big, stupid grin. Kissing her made him feel so strange and stupid and alive and happy and just... just happy. Happy for the first time in a very long time.

_Of course it helps that she's so responsive._ He thought, lifting his eyebrows involuntarily. Kirito's lips dried when he realized the extent to which he enjoyed seeing her tied up. Asuna's slim shoulders were shaking lightly and her breathing was shallow, erratic. The wires wrapped snugly around her body snaked over the generous area just above her breast-plate, under her chest, across her stomach, and... all over her. Binding her to the chair in all her submissive beauty. Kirito's eyes darkened with lust at the sight before his eyes.

He would never admit it, but Kirito had never been confronted with such feelings before. In spite of his audacious and insolent behaviour, his expansive- yet secretive- experience with women had never conjured any strong feelings in him. Unless the need for physical release fell under the category of "strong feelings".

_Maybe she can be a distraction after all..._ And his mind began to wander, trespassing into territories that he hadn't even explored before. But then he stopped, realizing how unwelcome and unbidden those desires were. _No... no, __what am I thinking? I can't let this develop any further without stepping into uncharted territory._

Kirito sighed. He knew that if he kissed her like that again he would be inviting the chance to develop feelings for her... and that would be wrong. Just so wrong. Considering the fact that she was technically his enemy and he was only using her as a pawn in his scheme against the Knights of Blood, feelings were the last thing he should throw into the mix.

Yet despite his better judgement, he decided to continue.

_So much for keeping my work professional._ He eyed her with a dark, small smile. He was caving. Slowing but surely, caving to his salacious fascination with her. Little did he know, the second-in-command was thinking the exact same thing.

But it's not like she didn't at least_ try_ to put up some resistance... it was just something about his voice that sparked a connection to him within her heart that her body somehow couldn't refuse. A connection that her body didn't _want_ to refuse. And much to her frustration, she couldn't explain why.

_This is crazy._ She thought. _I need to know who he is._

"You stole a kiss." she said. Kirito nodded.

"I did."

"So what does that count for?"

Kirito thought for a moment. He had kissed her in the spur of the moment, acting upon an surging impulse without any contemplation. So he didn't exactly have the chance to consider what that would mean in terms of their agreement... well, technically she hadn't agreed to anything yet.

"That depends."

"Depends on what?" she sighed exasperatedly. He was definitely playing games now, she had no doubt in her mind about it.

"Whether you agree to my offer or not. One kiss for one piece of information."

Asuna bit her lip and considered this. Was it worth agreeing to? All she wanted to know right now was one thing: his identity. And if she agreed to his offer, then technically she could just argue that she already gave him a kiss. (She kissed him back, didn't she?) And that must count for something. With that kiss out of the way, she could just ask her one simple question and then not have to kiss him again or ask any other questions.

"Have you decided yet?" Kirito asked, his cool voice lifting her out of her disjointed thoughts.

She nodded.

"I accept your offer."

"Then, ask your one question." he replied. He didn't plan to be difficult about it. She kissed him back passionately and that more than exceeded his expectations. If he told her he expected another kiss when he had already stole one from her and got what he wanted in the process... well, that wouldn't be fair of him at all.

Asuna smiled, surprised at his sudden straightforwardness.

"Okay... who are you?" she asked again, this time more hopeful in getting an answer. Although what the answer would be, she had no clue.

He narrowed his eyes coldly, even though she couldn't see it.

"I don't feel comfortable disclosing that information to you."

She frowned angrily at him.

"But you promised! That's so unfai-" Asuna fell silent when her mind registered her own words and she realized what she'd just said, feeling incredibly stupid.

_But he promised?_ she thought, mentally mocking herself. _He's a kidnapper, I can't just trust anything he says because he 'promises'_. she sighed. _I think this blindfold is blocking my common sense more than my vision._

A light bulb flashed above her head. _My vision! Of course!_

Kirito observed her easily readable expressions and awaited her next question warily.

"If you can't tell me you're identity," she began. "can you at least take off my blindfold so I can see what you look like?"

Asuna waited for his verdict. Her heart was beating so rapidly and vociferously that she began to wonder if she would fall into cardiac arrest. Was that even possible in this game?

"Fine." he said, subconsciously surrendering to how adorable her lips were when she pouted.

Kirito walked behind her and gently untied the cloth around her eyes, careful to not pull on any of her hair. Much to his surprise, his own heart rate was increasing considerably. Once the cloth was off her eyes, she squinted against the light and took a second to adjust her vision. Kirito walked in front of her with a blank expression on his face, not knowing what to expect. And then her heart stopped. For one earth shattering moment, her world stopped ticking and everything froze. And in the following second, everything that froze around her fell down, shattering like broken glass.

"K...K-Kirito-kun?!"

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**Hello! Thanks for reading and a big thank you to those of you who reviewed and followed my story so quickly! I'm sorry this chapter is short, I had to whip it together in time for the promised update at 5 reviews! I hope you liked it, if you have any ideas or comments or anything, always feel free to leave me a review!**

**I will post the next chapter either next Saturday or upon getting **ten more reviews. **(so once I get a total of 16 reviews.) Just because your kindness has made me a little bit greedy...! Thanks so much for the support!**

**PS. Don't worry, we'll be seeing more of the real Kirito in the next chapter. I don't want to make him too OOC for too long :)**


	3. Nocturnal Surprises

**A Captive Heart's Identity**

**Chapter Three: Nocturnal Surprises**

Kirito's eyes widened with shock.

"How do you know my name?" he asked in a low tone, scowling at her with suspicion. No matter where he went, no one ever recognized him or even tried making a point to know his name, save for the girls he ran into on his late night... excursions. So why did she know? He never had any affiliation with her... and they certainly didn't run in the same circles; she was the Vice Commander of perhaps the most powerful guild in SAO. And him? He didn't even belong to a guild. He just fought solo at night, which allowed himself to level up and build up his stats without hassle. There really couldn't have been a way for them to meet... right? And if he did, surely he would remember...

Kirito continued eyeing the girl with caution as she sat there dumfounded, not sure how to register her epiphany.

"K...Kirito-kun..." she muttered absently, her eyebrows furrowing confusion. He swallowed nervously. "How do you... don't you remember me?" Her eyes brimmed with tears when she turned up to look at him and he was startled by her strange behaviour. Why was she crying?

"I think you must have me confused... with someone else..." he offered lamely, even though he knew that the chances of someone else having the same name as him was highly unlikely; he never noticed another Kirito on the Monument of Life...

Asuna stared up at him with a strange look on her face, one that expressed not only confusion but sadness. She wondered if he was in denial, or if maybe he was just pretending not to know her... because what else could be the explanation for this? It just didn't add up. This was the person who saved her life. This was the person who not only taught her the basics of battle prior to the first Boss, but he was the one who encouraged her to become the best player she could possibly be. Heck, he was the Black Swordsman, the one who made headlines by declaring himself a beater. And he was the one that everyone... that everyone hated.

Except for her.

Then a thought flashed across her mind. Maybe _that's_ why. Maybe he abandoned his old identity because of all the hate and harassment... but then again...

_No, if he really meant to abandon his identity then he wouldn't have responded to that name._ She deduced. _Plus_,_ if he really meant to abandon his identity... it wouldn't be due to a fear of being ostracised. _Asuna simply didn't believe that Kirito was the kind of guy who'd be so easily influenced by other people's opinions. Not at least if she took into consideration how self sufficient he was.

She frowned, puzzled at the situation before her.

Ever since the first boss fight, she never saw him on the front lines again. And while she did find that strange- if not somewhat worrisome for the fact that he might have been killed- no one ever spoke of him again after the headlines died down. It was as if he vanished off the face of the earth...

And in hindsight, that's really how she got herself into this mess. Asuna wanted to know that he was still alive, that his name wasn't crossed off. She wanted to know... that he was okay. Which is why she went to the Monument of Life. And got kidnapped.

_Funny how I was looking for him and he found me instead._ She thought dryly, trying to ignore the dull ache in her chest. _This just doesn't make any sense..._

"Why are you doing this, Kirito-kun?" Asuna asked, vaguely aware of the tear sliding into her mouth. Asuna wasn't sure if she should be bitter or kind; she wasn't sure how she should act in order to get an honest answer from him. And that was all she wanted; the truth. Why did he have to be so difficult about it?

Kirito sighed.

"You wouldn't understand." he said coldly.

"Try me." she said. He stared into her eyes silently and looked as though he was searching for an answer himself. Kirito then averted her gaze, turning his head down and staring at the wooden floor. For an agonizingly long time, the dim room filled with silence.

_Just say something. _She mentally demanded. Silence was not only boring, but it also induced anxiety.

"How about we discuss this over a meal." he said, his voice answering her unspoken demand. "You must be hungry anyways, you've been passed out for hours."

She frowned slightly at his evasiveness but decided that if she was nice to him she would probably have a better chance at finding out the truth. Or so she hoped.

"Okay." she nodded, her heart sparking with a little bit of hope. Kirito was slightly surprised at her sudden compliance but he gave her a small smile. In truth, he was expecting her to lash out at him again or call him names.

"Um," he started. "Alright. Then, what would you like to eat?"

"Anything is fine." she said. Kirito blushed at the way she smiled at him and then mentally scolded himself for his uncharacteristic behaviour.

Blushing was certainly not a feeling he was used to. But then again, what could he do? She was rather hard to resist. And her _eyes.._. those mesmerizing hazel orbs were no longer looking at him with fear but instead with understanding and even... dare he say it... admiration.

It made him nervous as hell.

Kirito nodded and quickly left the room, eager to leave the house and clear his thoughts in the fresh evening air.

_Oh wait. _Kirito turned around and reentered the room. Asuna looked up at him with surprise.

"It's probably really stuffy in here." he muttered, careful to not make eye contact with her. She smiled as he went to open the window and let some fresh air circulate the room. Even though the room was beginning to get dark, she could still see a faint redness on his face. Then Kirito touched the main light torch, instantly brightening the room with life.

"Thanks." she said, almost surprised at how unafraid she felt. Right now, knowing who he was, Asuna didn't feel like her life was on the line. And much to her dismay, she actually felt kind of... safe. A small warmth spread inside her chest and Asuna realized how happy she was to see him again. Even if he was tying her up like this.

_Ugh. _She groaned inwardly, as he left the room without bidding her goodbye. _This is all so weird. _

After letting out a tired sigh, Asuna took in the room around her. It was quite plain but she could tell that it wasn't a room at an inn. The walls were rather standard in colour, the typical off-white. But there were a few rare plants lined up along the windowsill, a contemporary black closet beside the door, and a black, quilted leather wing chair in the corner. Then her hazel eyes travelled to the other end of the room where she saw a simple, single person bed with a mahogany bed frame and a levitating light torch above the matching black night stand.

_This must be his room. _She blushed, before mentally smacking herself. Even if he was the Kirito-kun she knew, as of now he was her enemy- her kidnapper. And you don't blush when you think about your kidnapper!

_This is hopeless. _Asuna sighed, forcibly allowing her mind to come to terms with her feelings. And Asuna's eyes stayed glued to the bed. It was much smaller than her luxurious queen-sized bed back in Salemburg but it was certainly big enough for two people... her face heated up again when her thoughts began to stray. She sighed distressfully. _Something must be wrong with me._

Meanwhile, Kirito was walking with his hands stuffed into his pockets. The weather setting was especially cold that night and the bitter wind snapped hungrily at his face. He exhaled a wispy puff of air before settling into thought. _What a strange turn of events._

Kirito had decided to walk to the local restaurant instead of teleporting so he could have some time to think. But so far he had come up with nothing. He still couldn't figure out why and how Asuna knew his name. Not to mention how she seemed like she knew his identity better than he did. Could it be possible...?

As if on cue, his head started pounding. The pain electrified his skull and caused Kirito to halt his steps, suffering from the intense throbbing. After a few excruciating minutes, the pain slowly ebbed away but he let out a defeated sigh into the crisp night air. It seemed like every time he was on to something, every time he was starting to piece the puzzle together, his head would start hurting. But as he neared the humble restaurant, Kirito decided to ignore the incident. At least for now.

"Welcome, welcome!" he was greeted by the voice of a familiar acquaintance. Standing behind the counter was one of the very few females he interacted with on a relatively consistent basis. Her IGN was Rokko and she had long brown hair that almost touched the floor, making her already petite body appear smaller by proportion. As usual, she wore a big smile on her pretty face and her bangs were clipped up with a shimmery pink barrette.

"Hello, Rokko." he nodded politely. Her face beamed a bright smile as she returned to cleaning the counter. She knew Kirito always took a long time when deciding what to buy, so there was no point in hassling him about it.

"I'll have..." he thought out loud. What should he buy for Asuna? Was she a picky eater? Did she have any food allergies? He scratched his head, eyes scanning the menu he toggled onto his screen. He'd heard a story a while back from his dad about some guy who ate what he was allergic to in real life only to have it trigger his real life symptoms in the game. Kirito shuddered at the thought. Things were complicated enough as they were, Asuna having an allergic reaction was the last thing he wanted to deal with.

"You're sure taking longer than usual, Kirito-kun." Rokko's playful voice interrupted his thoughts and she smiled admiringly at him before blushing when his eyes met hers.

"Ah, I'm not sure what to get." he muttered helplessly.

"Why don't you just get what you normally get?" she asked, tilting her head slightly in confusion.

"Well, I'm getting this for someone else." he said sheepishly. "And I don't know what she likes." Rokko frowned at this. Kirito never had any other girl friends that she knew of... and even though she and Kirito weren't exclusive, Rokko had believed that he liked her as well. He certainly seemed to like her a few nights ago. She fumed quietly.

Who was this girl?!

"Well, I can't help you there." she said bitingly with a flip of her hair. Kirito was taken aback by her uncharacteristic hostility but shrugged it off.

"I'll get the deluxe meal." Kirito decided. He figured that if he bought the most expensive dish in the shop, it would probably be the best tasting. And the deluxe meal also had a combination of different things too, so if Asuna didn't like one thing she could just have something else. He did fail to notice one thing though, and that was Rokko's jaw hanging open loosely.

_The deluxe meal? That's the most expensive thing here... he never spends so much money on food... __S_he thought.

"Oh, and my usual." he said, almost forgetting to order something for himself.

She let out a 'hmph' and nodded, turning to the kitchen to place the order.

Why was Kirito with another girl? She pondered this irritatedly before grabbing a wet cloth and scrubbing down the counter with force. Kirito noticed her anger and decided to inquire.

"Is something wrong?" he leaned an elbow on the counter and tilted his head, searching for her gaze. He was pretty sure the counter was already clean, but the furious waitress ignored him and kept scrubbing. Her hand moved in sharp, circular motions before stopping at his elbow and waiting expectantly for him to move.

"Can you please move your arm." she said coldly, avoiding his gaze. Kirito raised an eyebrow and stayed still for a while before bending his head down to meet her eyes. She blushed and turned her head away, only to have him tip her face in his direction with his finger. Kirito stared questioningly into her dark brown eyes.

"Tell me what's wrong, please." he asked softly. Her demeanour fell at his charm and she stared longingly into his eyes. But he seemed to notice the way she was looking at him and abruptly pulled his touch away. A small frown graced her face and she sighed.

"Who... h-how come you're with another girl?"

"What do you mean?" Kirito didn't understand how or why that would affect her.

A 'ding' came from the kitchen and he noticed that his food was ready. However, Rokko didn't move. Neither of them spoke for a minute until another 'ding' sliced through the silence.

"Nevermind." she muttered, drawing her eyes away from him and grabbing his order. "Here you go."

"Rokko," he started.

"Just go." she cut him off and turned away from him, tears welling up in her eyes. She folded her arms across her chest and stared down at the ground. "Go." she muttered, voice shaking.

"I'm sorry." he frowned. He didn't know what else to say.

When she didn't reply to him he sighed and turned away, leaving the store in silence.

* * *

**Hello readers! Thank you so much for reviewing, I was actually quite surprised at how quick the feedback was! Although I must apologize for this filler-type chapter and my OC. But don't freak out guys! My OC is a very minor character since the main plot line doesn't involve her.**

**She just kinda came to me so I wove her into this chapter to hopefully give a little more insight into Kirito's past, after losing his memory. I know I made him look like a jerk in this chapter but that's only because, if you remember from the previous chapter, his current personality is one that doesn't believe intimacy has much meaning. I feel like I'm repeating myself but, to reassure you guys, his personality _is _going to go back to normal (likely in the next chapter!)**

**Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed the read and I promise that the next one will push the story forward!**

**Here's a preview, just cause you guys are awesome:**

_When Kirito reentered his house, he was greeted by the sight of his father._

_"D-Dad?" he exclaimed. "I thought you were on a fishing trip." His father looked at him with narrow eyes._

_"I was..."_

_"What happened?" Kirito asked._

_"I think I should be the one asking you that! Who's that girl in your room and why is she tied up?!"_

**There you go! I'm going to update the next chapter by next Saturday or by **fifteen more** reviews (so a total of 32 reviews). I'm pretty sure that'll take a while so hopefully I can update a better chapter for my awesome readers. If you have any comments or ideas, please leave a review and keep me motivated!**


	4. Taking Chances

******IMPORTANT A/N: Kirito's "Dad" is the old man from the fishing episode. Just so you can picture this scenario better. Also, I know that Asuna seems like a naive "damsel-in-distress" right now and she's nothing like the badass we all know her to be. BUT, that moment will come: the moment when her badass qualities shine through. It will be in a later chapter though (I've planned up to Chapter 12 at the moment) so stick around to see it happen! Please enjoy this chapter and have a fun read!**

* * *

******A Captive Heart's Identity**

******Chapter Four: Taking Chances**

When Kirito reentered his house, he was greeted with the sight of his father.

"D-Dad?" he exclaimed. "I thought you were on a fishing trip." His father looked at him with narrow eyes.

"I was."

"What happened?" Kirito asked.

"I think I should be the one asking you that! Who is that girl in your room and why is she tied up?! No son of mine is going to be locking up girls in his room doing God knows what. I will not accept that type of behaviour!" He bellowed.

"I told you about my plan." Kirito said darkly, kicking of his shoes.

"I didn't know kidnapping a helpless young woman was part of your plan!"

"She's not exactly the helpless type, Dad."

"Then how did you capture her?!"

Kirito sighed.

"Old man, you underestimate me." Kirito walked to the dining table and sat against the edge, giving a half smile to his flustered father. Sometimes it really felt like his stats meant nothing to the old man beside him.

"Did you meet her yet?"

"No, I did not introduce myself. She was asleep when I got back."

___Phew._

Kirito nodded and scratched the back of his head. He was glad that he didn't have to explain _more_ to the girl in his room. But now he would have to explain to his father...

Suddenly, Kirito felt exhausted.

"I was planning to return to floor 22 after I'd unloaded the fish. I had caught so many of them, my inventory filled up." his father explained. "But after this strange turn of events... well. I don't feel comfortable leaving again."

"Dad, the reason I needed to capture her was to lure out Kuradeel." He gritted his teeth when he spat out the tasteless name. "He needs pay for what he did."

Kirito's father gazed at him with sadness in his eyes. The aged skin on his face creased deeply with wrinkles.

"My son," his father began, shaking his head sadly. "I have said this time and time again, but you still don't understand. What's done is done. Nothing you do will ever be able to bring her back-"

"No!" Kirito denied. "It needs to be done, I need to do this!" He paused. Meeting his father's sad gaze with conviction, Kirito spoke again. "I need to do this... for mom."

Kirito's father sighed in defeat. Prior to the incident, he was adamant that Kirito was finally moving on from his past; moving on from the pain. He was so certain that they were making progress... but now all that progress was gone. Banished into ruins by his son's unvanquishable anger_._

Kirito's father stood up, walking over to Kirito and placing a firm grip on his shoulder.

"You do what you must. I trust you." he sighed. "But if I find out that you do anything unspeakable to that young lady in your room, I won't be forgiving." Kirito opened his mouth to protest but his father kept going. "You will not harm her! It does not matter to me who she is, I do not want anyone else to lose a woman they care for."

"No one deserves that kind of pain."

Kirito sighed. "Alright."

After embracing his son in a hug, Kirito's father dug out his teleport crystal and said his goodbyes.

"I'll be back in two weeks." he said. "Don't forget what I said about the girl in your room. And please, son. Be safe." Kirito rolled his eyes at the potential double meaning behind his father's words. Still, he gave his father a reassuring nod of compliance. He didn't think it was possible for him to bring down Kuradeel (and possibly the Knights of the Blood Oath) without taking Asuna down as well. But since his father requested... he figured he would just have to work around it. Somehow.

A loud crash from above him jolted Kirito from his thoughts.

___Crap._

"Asuna?!" He called. Kirito sped up the stairs reflexively, his feet skipping multiple steps at a time.

Turning the doorknob, Kirito's eyes immediately fell upon the girl on the floor struggling to get up. Kirito let out a sigh of relief.

"What are you doing?" he asked, shaking his head with a confused smile on his face. He didn't mind admitting it, she looked quite hilarious tied to the chair and rolling around on his bedroom floor. "You look like a turtle."

"Not helping right now!" she exclaimed, blushing a furious shade of red.

___This is so embarrassing. _She thought, wishing that the floor would just open up and swallow her whole. At least that way she wouldn't have to look so stupid in front of him. Since when did she become such a klutz? Kirito laughed and decided to enjoy this moment for just a little while longer.

"H-help me up!" she demanded, frantically unable to hide her embarrassment. His laughing was cut short, however, when her already short red skirt flipped up to reveal the smooth skin of her thighs. The soft, exposed skin set his innermost desires ablaze. And the cream coloured legs led up to a... Kirito's mouth grew parched. Clinging to her modesty was a simple piece of fabric that left little to the imagination- _very _little.

What he noted as uncharacteristic, Kirito blushed and looked away. All of a sudden he was speechless, opening and closing his mouth like a fish.

"E-eh, A-Asuna-"

"Ah!" she shrieked, squirming in a futile attempt to fix her skirt. Kirito swallowed nervously and approached her with caution, covering his eyes with one hand. It was more or less a pathetic attempt to help her up without looking at her voluptuously vulnerable body. "Just help me up already, you idiot!"

"R-right, right..." he then closed his eyes and bent down, feeling with his hands for the chair handle.

___So soft..._his eyebrows furrowed. That wasn't a chair handle.

"Eeek!" a shrill squeak escaped Asuna's lips and his eyes flashed open.

"Gah!" Kirito instantly retracted his hand, much to the horror of the girl in before him. He stared at his hand and groped the air awkwardly, realizing what he had just touched. "Eh... heh, ___gomen na_, Asuna-san." A small, nervous laughter squeezed out of his lungs and he chastely pulled her chair upright. But Asuna remained silent, fuming with humiliation. A delicate stream of wetness pushing out of her tear ducts and slid down her cheek.

___Why weren't they here already?_ She thought sadly, mentally cursing her guild. How could they not yet notice her immensely prolonged absence?

Seeing her silent tears, the awkward smile fell from Kirito's face. With a sigh, he left the room in search of a tissue. Soon enough he returned with a box of Kleenex.

"What were you trying to do?" he asked softly, bending down with a tissue in his hand to wipe the tear trails on her cheeks. She blushed at his gentle touch.

"I needed to go to the washroom..."

Kirito's eyes widened a bit and he pulled himself back, contemplating what he should do. Obviously he should let her go to the washroom, but what if she tried to escape? What if escaping was her true intention? It wouldn't be difficult for him to capture her again... unless she used a teleport crystal. Then all his efforts would have been for naught.

"I'm not going to run away, if that's what you're thinking." Asuna said, quietly tearing him away from his thoughts.

"You expect me to believe that?" He asked cynically.

"Yes." She replied, her voice small but firm. "I won't leave until I get my answers."

"How can I be certain that this isn't just your attempt to escape?" He asked coldly. "I could kill you so_ easily_. Now would be the perfect opportunity for you to warp away to safety."

"That's not the point." she said.

"Aren't you afraid of what I can do to you?"

"You would never hurt me." She said.

Kirito laughed dryly at her words.

"You're a strange girl." He mused, solemnly glancing at the clock. "How come you seem so certain that I, your kidnapper, wouldn't hurt you?"

"Because I know who you really are and you would never hurt me. Kirito-kun." Asuna's voice was steady but she was trembling on the inside. Considering the vulnerable position she was in, Asuna knew that she was definitely pushing her luck. Still, she crossed her fingers and prayed that her bluff wouldn't be called on.

_I really have no clue who you are right now. That's exactly why I need to stay. _she thought.

Kirito froze at her assertiveness and slowly processed her words.

"Perhaps I won't hurt you now but you should never be so certain, Asuna." He said quietly, almost with sadness in his voice, as though his words held a darker meaning than she could immediately deduce.

Asuna frowned at him.

"Just let me pee." She demanded. Kirito stared cautiously into her eyes until her bladder was on the verge of bursting. "Seriously, I need to go!" She exclaimed, the urgency of her voice finally convincing him.

"The washroom is right outside." Kirito said quickly, drawing his sword. The blade flashed before her eyes and sliced through the cable wires, skillfully missing her flesh.

_Finally!_ she thought. Leaping up from her seat, she expected her legs to move forward but instead they buckled with pain. Falling forward, she landed against his chest with an 'oomph'. Kirito's arms wrapped around her, carefully holding her waist and supporting her weight.

"Be careful." He muttered sternly. She blushed at his breath brushing against her ears.

"My legs..." she started.

"I know. It's probably because you've been in that position for so long." He said, with a detached tone of understanding in his voice. Kirito steadied her on her feet. "Are you alright to walk yourself?"

Asuna nodded, her face burning and heart thumping loudly in her chest. Letting go of her, he stepped aside and allowed her to quickly escape to the bathroom_._

___What was that? _She blushed. ___Why is my heart... feeling this way? _Asuna quickly finished her business and splashed her face with some water. _Don't be stupid, don't be stupid, don't be stupid._ She repeated that mantra in her head, hoping it would help.

Meanwhile, Kirito sat anxiously on his bed, wondering if she would teleport away.

___I'm such an idiot._ He thought. Thankfully, he heard the doorknob turn and she re-entered the room quietly.

"We have to go." he said, glancing at his clock.

"What? Where?" she said, confusion across her face.

"Floor 55. Soon enough they'll notice your absence and track you down on the map. I don't want them to come here."

She frowned.

"Oh..."

He stood up and and walked over to her, taking her small hand in his. Electrified by his touch, her head snapped up with alertness.

"Get your teleport crystal ready." he demanded. She nodded hesitantly before taking out her crystal and gripping it nervously in her hands.

"On my count, Floor 55. Got it?" She nodded. "Can I trust you?" He asked, staring intently into her eyes. She swallowed but maintained his burning gaze.

"Yes."

Deciding, perhaps stupidly, that he wanted to trust her, they quickly warped away. In moments, their blue crystals took them to the deserted canyon area of Floor 55 with no vegetation and a very dry, arid terrain.

"This place... it's so isolated." she said absently.

"Exactly." he said. "The perfect place to execute my plan." Her body grew stiff at his words and Asuna quickly came to realize how stupid she was for not escaping while she could. This couldn't be good... he was seriously up to something bad...

___Curiosity killed the cat. _she thought with dread. ___And right now I think I'm the cat. _

"You were right though." he said, observing her rigid body with wariness.

"Right about what?" she said, avoiding his eyes with a little bit of fear.

"Right about the fact that I wouldn't hurt you." His words were simple but they were spoken so gently that she felt washed over with relief. Her shoulders slumped and she realized how tense she must have looked. "I don't want to hurt you."

"Thanks..." she muttered quietly, shifting her weight on her foot.

"But that doesn't mean I'm going to set you free."

"Wha-"

Before her words could complete themselves, Kirito handcuffed her wrists behind her back.

"Seriously?" she said, not even bothering to resist. "You trust me enough to believe that I would teleport here with you, yet you don't trust me enough to not physically restrain me in some way?"

_And who the heck carries handcuffs with them?_ she thought. _Well, I guess he's prepared. _

"Your only motive behind staying is to get answers. If I give you your answers without restraining you, you can easily teleport away after getting what you want. And that would ruin everything." She rolled his eyes at his logic and sighed. Leading her to a canyon wall, they sat down on the pavement. Then her stomach growled loudly and she blushed, remembering her hunger. Kirito laughed softly.

"Here." he materialized the takeout deluxe meal and his own fried udon, setting it on the ground before them. Taking a pair of chopsticks, he opened the lid of the still-warm food. "Do you have any food allergies in real life?" he asked, before plucking a fried tofu from the pile of rice.

"No." she answered. He lifted his hand and brought the food to her lips.

"I'll have to feed you." he said, amusement dancing in his eyes.

"I'm not a baby! I can feed myself if you free my hands." he chuckled at her determination.

"No, that won't be necessary."

When Asuna opened her mouth to protest he stuffed the piece of tofu into her mouth and the delicious sauce glossed her lips.

"Mmm." she almost defied him until the delicious flavours enveloped her taste buds and her stomach hummed with satisfaction. Swallowing, she spoke again. "This is really good." Kirito smiled at her, inducing another flush of redness to creep on to her face. For reasons she couldn't explain, his smile made her insides feel fuzzy. She quickly dodged another piece of tofu.

"Stop evading my questions and distracting me with food!" she said. "I want to know why you kidnapped me and why you're even doing all this. I want to know why you don't remember who you are... and why you don't remember me." His smile faded at her last words. He put down the chopsticks.

___I can't remember. _Kirito frowned slightly.___But that doesn't mean I haven't tried to. _

"It's complicated." He said softly. She sighed at his vagueness.

"Well we don't have forever." He smiled at her childish impatience and reached down to pick up some rice. Bringing it to her lips, he spoke again.

"A kiss for an answer." He said.

___No..._ she groaned mentally. Kissing him was the last thing she wanted to do... as if she wasn't confused enough about her feelings already.

"Why are we still doing that?" she asked with irritation, before accepting the rice into her mouth.

"Because I still want to kiss you."

* * *

**I hate to leave the chapter here but I don't have long before it's 12am; and technically Sunday! I promised to update on Saturday so I must keep my promise! Thank you guys for reading, reviewing, and following/favouriting my story- it's a work in progress but I really appreciate it! It encourages me to keep writing. The next chapter will involve a lot of romance, contain the entire explanation of Kirito's past, and will subsequently escalate the plot. And Chapter 6 is likely going to be the most intense Chapter in my story too... so look forward to it! I just realized I'm typing with a lot of exclamation marks but LOL oh well. **

**I also just started university so needless to say, I am SWAMPED with stuff to do (kind of why this update is so late) I just survived the first week and it was hectic and fun and amazing! But it will take up a lot of my time since I'm going to a technical university and not a research university. Still, because I'm in love with Sword Art, I _promise_ to complete this story and update as regularly as promised. Given that people actually read it and review. Chapter 5 will be up in **another 12 reviews (so a total of 42) or until next Sunday morning**. Please don't hesitate to give me ideas or tell me what you liked or disliked about the story. **

**Until then, have a nice week everybody! :) **


	5. You Found Me

**SUPER IMPORTANT AN: **

**Good lord, I am still alive. I have survived university up until my three midterm projects and I'm alive! Let me start by saying I'm sorry! I deeply apologize for breaking my promise. I wanted to upload faster and this story has never left the back of my mind. But things were so immensely busy. I was honestly waking up at 6am and staying at school until 9 pm on a very, very consistent basis. Which meant dinner would usually be around 9:45 and I would still have chores and other homework responsibilities. And this was because I just had so much sewing to do, and we'd have to sew with the industrial sewing machines in the school lab, not our machines at home. So yeah. I'll upload the projects I worked on once I get them back (I am uploading this at 4 am in the morning, right after midterms.) so the curious ones of you guys can see what I have been slaving away on while being away from this story. **

**And I also wanted to let you know that for the first time in my life, I stayed up 3 nights in a row with zero hours of sleep and I had my first willing cup of coffee to keep me awake and alert for a solid 60 minutes. That was the past three days. Yesterday after handing in my last midterm project, I got home around 5, crashed, and I slept for 20 hours before waking up. I just slept through the entire night. 20 hours. That's never happened to me before!**

**But anyways, I realize I have been talking way too much about myself. Please forgive that! I have been working very hard on this chapter to make it work and even though it was originally going to be 4480 words, I had to cut it down because the second half of this original chapter felt like it really needed to be separate. So yes. But at least this time the following chapter is written! And most of the chapter following that is written too... of course editing takes time though. **

**Enough with me talking! I hope you guys can just forgive me and hopefully leave a review after reading to tell me whether the wait was worth it or if you liked this chapter ... or hated this chapter (because in my eyes, it's really just fluffy and semi-anticlimactic). Things do get heated and I'm not sure if some people won't like that, but please let me know. Because I've made you guys wait so long and I broke my promise, I won't be asking for a definite number of reviews this time. I'll simply assure you guys that I will update as soon as humanly possible and hope you guys can leave me a little review to keep me going! The reviews you guys gave me from last time really helped :')**

**Thank you, hope you enjoy it! Seriously.**

**And note: in this chapter, Asuna's hair IS unbraided. The reason for this is because,if you recall, she was on a day off from the guild when she got kidnapped by Kirito.**

Listen to Forevermore by Broken Iris , the song really fits this chapter to me!

* * *

**A Captive Heart's Identity**

**Chapter 5: You Found Me**

_"Because I still want to kiss you."__  
_

His words tickled her skin, sending a small shiver up her spine as they crawled into her ears. Asuna turned her head and blushed a light crimson colour as his finger lifted her delicate face to his direction, causing her redness to ripen.

_What's wrong with me? _She thought, sadly aware of her frantically beating heart.

"So?" he asked, a small hint of amusement on his face. "Will you kiss me?" His voice was annoyingly cocky, but he couldn't help it. This girl was just too easy to read; her lovely expressions gave everything away.

_Of course she will. _

Asuna scoffed.

"You make it sound like I have a choice." she replied sarcastically, sounding a lot ruder than they had both expected. This took Kirito by surprise, and his smile faltered before slipping off his face entirely. His hand also fell to his side as he released her from his light touch.

"You do." he spoke firmly. "With me, you will always have a choice." Her eyes widened at his solemn, onyx stare.

_I have a choice? Is there really such a thing in this world?_ She considered that idea with an odd mix of doubt, belief, and flattery.

"I would never make you do anything you don't want to."

"Oh..." she muttered, feeling her stomach twirl. "Okay. Thanks."

_Should I kiss him? He says I have a choice but I don't think I really do… not with his conditions. _

But Kirito didn't reply. He was silent, instead, and he watched her with careful eyes. For once, he couldn't draw much information from her exterior disposition. Her body was unnervingly still, motionless like a stream on a windless day. And her hair curtained half of her face, inducing an urge within him to reach out and tuck it back. When Kirito registered the sight of her small, delicate-looking demanour, a strange notion stirred in his heart unlike the other strange emotions she has stirred within him so far.

The urge to protect her.

Kirito shook his head and apprehensively made an attempt to pick up his food. But Asuna mustered up her courage and leaned forward, feverishly meeting his lips.

_Please answer me after this._ she thought, before losing her consciousness to his lips.

After an initial jolt of surprise, Kirito closed his eyes and kissed her back, permitting his body's instinctual response to her. Matching the rhythm of her lips with a staggering amount of ease, a dark sensation began trembling within him like a flame; flickering like an ember burning his core and setting him ablaze with desire. To digress, Kirito feel a need to consume.

_Asuna... _he groaned at her expressive, responsive kiss.

Reaching up a hand to her face, he caressed it with a gentle affection she had never before experienced. And such gentleness was something she did not expect from him at all.

_What are you doing to me, Asuna?_

Beginning to feel faint, Asuna breathed him in while he responded even more eagerly, wrapping his hand around the small of her waist and pulling her into him.

_More…_ he thought hazily, leaning his head deeper. But, and to her body's unwillingness, Asuna broke the kiss for air. Falling forward shakily, her head landed on his shoulder with a gentle 'thump.' She didn't notice the disappointed look on his face.

_Wow…_ she thought, taking solace in the crook of his neck and breathing in his comforting scent. She felt strange and intoxicated. Light headed and almost weak, as if his kiss drank away all her energy, her resistance. In the truest of senses, she felt as though his lips stripped away her defences, leaving her bare and exposed to him in a figurative sense of nudity.

She felt completely exposed. And the worst part was, she kind of liked it. It was new to her.

_What are you doing to me, Kirito-kun?_

Kirito was surprised at her uncharacteristic gesture of affection, snuggling close to him. But at the same time, he liked it. A smile found its way on to Kirito's lips and he swallowed dryly, wondering if she could hear the accelerated beating of his heart.

_I hope not._ He thought, blushing.

"First question." She breathed quietly.

Kirito tensed, bracing himself.

"Why do you want to kiss me?"

His shoulders slacked slightly at the question.

_That buys me some time._

Smiling at the silly, unexpected question, Kirito stroked her soft hair gently.

"I don't know." He laughed softly, shaking his head. "You're beautiful. And I'm sure that has something to do with it." Her face heated from the impact of his words. "But there's something… something about you that I can't quite put my finger on."

"And that something… attracts me to you." He explained quietly. "I guess."

The sweetness of his words spilled over her heart, dripping like syrup and enveloping it with frenzied emotion. But Asuna mulled the words over carefully before speaking once again.

"Neh, Kirito-kun?" she asked softly.

"Hm?"

Lifting herself off his shoulders with difficulty due to the condition of her wrists, she leaned up and stole his lips for yet another kiss.

Embracing the soft, gentle sensation, a low moan escaped his enraptured lips and Kirito felt the remaining shreds of his discipline slither away. Sincerely incapable of restraining himself any longer, Kirito wrapped his arms around her slender back and legs, lifting her up bridal style and setting her atop his lap. Earning himself a squeak of surprise from the girl inhis arms, he bent down to deepen the kiss.

Asuna's body shivered as Kirito continued drinking away her resistance, filling her instead with confusion and desire and an entire selection of conflicting emotions. It scared her to admit it, for the context of the situation itself, but she didn't want him to stop. She didn't want this moment to end because kissing him just felt right. But she knew she shouldn't feel that way. She knew it was wrong.

Yet when he interrupted her hazy consciousness with his gently pleading tongue, Asuna parted her lips and granted him access.

_I've never wanted anyone this badly before... Asuna._

Asuna ignored the nagging feeling in the back of her mind and instead wished for the ability to reach up and touch him. She wanted to run her fingers through his dark hair and stroke his face the way he was stroking hers. But she tasted his passion when his tongue enveloped hers, and it was a strange but gratifying sensation.

_I've never kissed like this before... _she thought awkwardly. It was an odd feeling, although her thoughts soon disintegrated when his fingers trailed down her neck. With a gentleness entirely contrastive to his aggressive kisses, Kirito lightly traced the exposed skin of her shoulders. Asuna moaned softly when his touch stopped and he slowly lifted his hand from her body.

For reasons beyond himself, he was conflicted with the need to devour her but also with the fear of violating her or overstepping her boundaries. In this heated moment, there was truly nothing more he wanted than to taste and touch every last inch of the lovely, breathtakingly beautiful Commander in his arms… but he had to respect her.

And himself.

Still, they had to break away. Sharply intaking the dry evening air, Asuna bit her lip and blushed furiously. Pressing his forehead against hers gently, Kirito stared into her eyes with wonder. He could barely wrap his head around the indescribable attraction her felt towards her.

"Third question?" He asked breathlessly. She laughed.

"I didn't even ask you the second question yet!" Swallowing a shallow breath, she continued; deciding to retaliate for all the times he's teased her. "Besides, I thought you didn't want to answer my question." She lifted her chin with a defiant smile that his heart found incredibly endearing.

"I thought we've established, by now, how badly I want to kiss you." He said darkly, unfazed by her child-like attempt to embarrass him. "How badly… it appears I need to."

_My body needs you Asuna. I don't know why._

Asuna stared into his eyes with bright hazel innocence and a chill raced up her spine at the way he was looking at her.

"What the hell." He muttered, leaning down again. He captured her soft lips before she could even catch her breath, closing his eyes and revelling in her once again. And kissing her with not a trace of urgency, but with a quivering, desperate passion.

"Mm." she responded shyly. But a small growl rumbled from Asuna's stomach. He smiled and naturally broke the kiss, laughing- much to her mortification.

_How can she make a stomach growl sound so cute?_

"Please, forgive me." He apologized teasingly. "I guess I got carried away and forgot your hunger. Here, let's eat before the food expires." She closed her eyes and prayed with all her might that she would disappear. That the cold desert earth would open up and swallow her whole, saving her from such embarrassment.

Opening her eyes, she was unsurprisingly disappointed.

"Are you… going to put me down?" She asked, as he continued holding her waist with one hand and picking up food with the other. He shook his he with a playful smile on his face.

"No, I like you being on me." Blushing, she reluctantly opened her mouth to accept a chunk of rice. "Do you not like it though?" He asked, a flicker of sadness flashing across his eyes.

She shook her head.

"N-no…" she started. "It's fine."

"Good." With the millionth smile of the day, Kirito rustled her copper coloured hair before turning his attention back to the food. He hoped they wouldn't arrive soon. He was really enjoying her company. Being with her proved to be a very different experience from being with other girls.

And as he thought this, Asuna decided to give up on trying to figure out the incomprehensible feelings in her heart and nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck. She liked seeing him smile.

Looking up, Asuna noticed the darkening sky.

"Hey, Kirito-kun." She asked softly.

"Hm?"

"Do you see the stars?" He followed her gaze upwards and saw the beautiful white spots blinking in the sky. "Aren't they beautiful?" She said with awe. Being on the front lines almost every day, she never really had a chance to see or appreciate the more serene, breathtaking aspects of SAO. After all, her only goal was to escape this world. Appreciating it was never in her agenda… at least not until now.

"Yeah, I guess they are…" his voice trailed off as his eyes fell upon her once again.

"Beautiful." He smiled. Not to her awareness, he was mesmerized by her, not the stars. There were thousands of stars, preprogrammed to blink and flash in their own respective ways. But never has he ever encountered a girl who could strike so many chords within him… all while doing so naturally. She wasn't programmed to be this way. She just was.

And it was amazing.

_Will I ever understand, though, why I feel so connected to her? _He sighed again. _These emotions really complicate things. _Then, thoughts of the impending night overwhelmed him.

"Hey, stop looking at me like that." She said, eyeing him with a playful smile. But to her surprise, he didn't reply. He simply turned away, before feeding her in silence until she could eat no more. Then he fed himself. In silence.

_What's with him all of a sudden?_

"Why are you acting weird?" She asked hesitantly.

"I'm not acting weird."

"Yeah you are."

He didn't respond so she lifted herself off his chest and stared questioningly into his dark, secretive eyes.

"You haven't asked me your second or third question yet." He said, the calmness of his voice slicing through the frigid night air.

"Why are you acting like this?" She asked, frustration starting to build.

He frowned and met her gaze with an expression she didn't recognize from him.

Anger.

"Is that the only question you're going to ask me?"

She frowned back at him, the arch of her eyebrows drawing downwards with irritation at his rude tone of voice.

"Aren't you even concerned anymore about who I am or why we're here or why I'm even holding you captive?!" She opened her mouth but no measly words would fall out.

_He's right. _She realized, feeling somewhat ashamed at herself. She felt ashamed at her impulsive, thoughtless actions.

"Asuna, you have no clue what's going on right now."

She nodded her head and her eyes slowly watered.

_God, I'm such a stupid girl. _She thought angrily, turning her head away from him as the tears trickled down her face. _He's not the Kirito I think he is. What am I doing?_

Kirito sighed at the sight of her tears and felt his self-control waning yet again. It was so damn frustrating. He couldn't say yes to her demands. But at the same time, he just couldn't find it in himself to say no.

"Please, don't cry." He pleaded. Pulling her small body into his chest, he stroked her hair and tried to quell her quiet sobs. "It's just. I don't understand what's going on between us. And that really complicates everything. Right now, you're supposed to be my enemy."

"Why?" she asked sadly.

She knew he didn't really think of her as an enemy. If he did, he wouldn't have kissed her so affectionately and been so kind to her this whole time…

Kirito swallowed and took in a deep breath. Now was the time. The time to tell her the truth.

_I hope you don't have me after this._

He opened his mouth to speak.

_How do I even begin?_

After a few moments of silent contemplation, Kirito spoke.

"You're supposed to be my enemy right now because your guild-" He stopped, voice shaking. "Because your bodyguard… killed my mother."

* * *

**Please leave me some feedback or review. I'm trying my best . **


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